Aftermath
by Naeshira
Summary: The aftermath of Growltiger's death. Jeez, something had to have happened. This is what I think did.


A/N: This is my view of what happened after the Siamese killed Growltiger. After all, something had to have happened to his crew, right?

I have no claim over Cats, that's all to Andrew Lloyd Webber and T.S. Eliot. (both geniuses, might I add.)

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After Growltiger fell into the water, a great cheer went up in the Siamese. They rushed off to their sampans and their junks to light fireworks and party for the rest of the night.

Grumbuskin waited, until he was sure that they were gone, and that they had no more care for their barge. Then, darting out to the edge of the boat, he peered down into the dark water. There was no sign of life. Growltiger was gone.

Grumbuskin sighed, shaking his head. He'd told Growltiger, time and time again, to learn to swim. But did anyone listen to him? NO.

"Tumble." He said, turning from the gunwale. "You're first mate now, unlock the other bunks."

"Aye sir." Tumblebrutus turned and darted across the deck, breaking through the locks the Siamese had put on the doors.

When he returned, Grumbuskin stared around the deck, empty but for himself and Tumblebrutus. He sighed. "Report!" he shouted, using a commanding tone of voice that none had heard from the former first mate before. "All paws to deck, NOW!"

Shakily, the crew filed onto the deck. When they were all there, Tumblebrutus hopped up next to Grumbuskin. "We lost three cats, sir." He said, holding up his paw, "Two cabin-kits, and a cook."

Grumbuskin nodded. "All right." He said, and he started pacing the gunwale. "All right, all of you! Growltiger's gone, so I'm taking over now. Anybody got a problem with that?" he glared around at them all, looking at Tumblebrutus as well.

The ship was silent, except for the loud firecrackers exploding overhead and the celebrations of the Siamese cats both on their boats and on shore.

"Good. We might as well stay here in Molesey, so you're free to go in the morning. Stay here overnight; we don't know what enemies we might have on the night-time shore. You have a week to stay on land, and then I want us out of here, and heading towards London, got it?" He glared at them all again until a meow of agreement was aroused.

"Well, what are you waiting for, you bilge-cats? Clean up this mess!" With that, Grumbuskin leaped down to the deck, striding between the sudden rush of moving cats, all eager to stay off his bad side. They might not have heard his commanding tone before, but they all had heard his temper.

He trotted into the captain's cabin and looked around. It was full of things that reminded him of the late Growltiger. Growltiger's last dying screech as he fell into the salty brine came washing over Grumbuskin again, and he shivered, jumping up onto the desk. It would haunt him forever, he knew, but there was nothing he could do.

There was a knock on the door and it opened. "Sir?" Tumblebrutus peeked around the wood. "They're done cleaning, and have all gone to bed."

"That was quick."

"There were a lot of them who don't normally clean out there. It doubled the speed. Plus, they're a bit scared of you." Tumblebrutus jumped lightly onto the back of the green cushioned captain's chair.

"How's the crew morale?" Grumbuskin asked.

"They're not quite sure what to think." Tumblebrutus replied, licking his fur smooth. "They're partly scared of what's going to happen now."

"How do they feel about Growltiger's death? That's what I meant." Grumbuskin had to know. After all, if they were sad, he'd try to continue in Growltiger's footprints. If they were glad, he'd go a new direction. But it all depended on the crew, the only way to prevent a mutiny.

"Again, they're not quite sure what to think. They're sad because he got us a lot of loot, and they're glad because he was so scary, and they're also scared because they think his ghost is going to haunt them."

"And you, Tumble?" Grumbuskin asked, turning his gaze to his first mate. "What do you think we should do?"

"I don't know, sir." Tumblebrutus murmured. "I'm guessing that a bunch of cats will disappear during shore leave."

"Then we'll wait until we leave to see how many we have left. After all, the ones who leave are cowards who don't deserve to be on this ship! They ruin her good name!" Grumbuskin stood now, glad that his big decision was put off for a week.

"Yes, sir." Tumblebrutus said, trying to hide his yawn. He was unsuccessful.

Grumbuskin gave Tumblebrutus a small grin. "Go get some sleep, Tumble. Then you can go ashore in the morning as well."

"Thank you, sir, but I won't be going ashore." Tumblebrutus hopped off the chair and headed for the door.

"Why not? You want drink and solid ground don't you?" Grumbuskin called.

"Yes sir, I do, but I don't trust myself. If I left now, I might not come back." Tumblebrutus answered, his own fearful memories of Growltiger's last screams running through his head. His tail flipped around the door as he added, "Besides, someone needs to look after you, sir."

Grumbuskin was taken aback by Tumblebrutus's honesty. Then he laughed. "For a ruthless pirate, Tumble, you have your merit."

He leaped lightly to the window, staring out at the celebrating Siamese sampans, their rockets and firecrackers still exploding like thunder. Growltiger was gone, and now the barge was under new management. Grumbuskin would have to make the hardest choice of his life: keep going, or turn back.

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A/N: There we go, hope you liked it. Reviews are nice and greatly appreciated. ^^


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